


spinning in place.

by lushwang (theangryblob)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teachers, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 21:27:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21745639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theangryblob/pseuds/lushwang
Summary: minghao confesses and finds out he's been reading joshua's hints all wrong.
Relationships: Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 8
Kudos: 86





	spinning in place.

**Author's Note:**

> mika wanted a smut but i can't stop with this cheesy shit i'm sorry

he puts his phone down, pursing his lips as he stares at his lockscreen, waiting for it to light up. it’s thundering hard outside, raindrops pelting against the windows of the office, and he regrets staying in so long. he should have headed out before the rain started but he’s been waiting for joshua to finish up. 

[ From: Josh | Received at 6:04PM ]  
sorry i took so long :(

[ From: Josh | Received at 6:04PM ]  
im coming down now

minghao picks up his bag and heads out. the school building is almost entirely empty now, lights dimmed. he flinches when a flash of lightning illuminates the hallway, eerily close to the building. the clap of thunder that follows makes his heart skip a beat, as if he wasn’t already nervous enough. still, he’s already decided to face this head on. 

he catches joshua right as the elevator opens, grinning behind the giant bag he’s carrying. “hi.” 

“do you need help with that?” he steps inside, already moving forward to take the bag from joshua, but the other shifts, twisting his body to keep it away from minghao. 

“no, no, it’s ok. it’s just paper.” 

“paper can be heavy.” 

“have a little faith in me, hao,” joshua gives him a grin, “i’ve been working out, you know? i’m pretty sure i’m stronger than you now.”

“whatever you say,” he concedes. it’s not untrue - minghao just can’t think about that for too long, and he rolls his eyes and takes a step back, if only to avoid looking at him directly. he can’t be reminded me of joshua’s body - he’s filling out his shirts a lot nicer this year and it makes minghao dizzy to think about it too long. “are those essays?”

joshua nods, regretting it immediately when his chin hits the top of the bag, lip curling into a pout. minghao swallows. “yeah. taking them home so i can at least make a dent in them over the weekend.”

he knows the feeling all too well and offers joshua a sympathetic smile. 

“thank you for waiting for me, by the way. i could have just taken the bus.” the elevator door opens and he lets joshua go first, deferential even as he laughs at him. the parking lot is empty, and for that he’s thankful. he’d rather he didn’t have an audience for this. 

“while you’re carrying all that? you would have made me come back to drive you.” 

joshua just grins as he shoves his bag into the backseat of minghao’s car, tossing his backpack in as well. “obviously. but i still have to be polite, don’t i?” 

he stretches his arms above his head, humming lowly and minghao forgets what he wanted to reply with. he’s so handsome - features all sweet and kind till minghao lets his gaze linger and finds his throat becoming tight. the kind of attractive that’s just unfair. it makes his head swim. 

when joshua moves to close the door, minghao stops him, hand on top of his. “wait.”

joshua’s eyes widen, attention entirely on him, expectant. no going back now.

“before we go, i-” minghao swallows, takes a deep breath, “i want to tell you something. i like you.” he can feel his face warming up, but he pushes through the embarrassment, gritting his teeth. “I wanna take you out on a date, if you’d like that.” 

joshua gives him a wobbly smile, taking a step closer. “most people would just ask someone out for drinks.”

minghao lets out a breath, exasperated. “ _josh-"_

“yes, yes i wanna go on a date with you,” he moves closer, taking minghao’s hands in his, “i like you too. i’m glad you’re being direct with me.” 

joshua’s the opposite, pulling in him in every direction till it leaves him reeling, like he’s spinning in place without moving at all. “you’re teasing me.” 

“i’m not!” joshua comes closer, and when the fluorescent light of the parking lot touches his face, he can see the tips of joshua’s ears have turned pink. “i like you! i just…”

he averts his eyes and minghao places a hand on chest. “just?”

joshua smiles, face close enough that minghao can count his eyelashes. “what made you confess to me so suddenly? i had no idea this was going to happen today.”

 _today?_ he wonders if joshua knew that minghao’s been pining for him since the day they met. he’s pieced together that joshua might like him back in his rare moments of sincerity, but that was only recently. this was a leap of faith. 

“this afternoon. you remember when you came to me after the lunch period?” 

joshua speaks softer, smiling. “yeah? you had a class then. all your students stared at me.”

minghao laughs a little thinking about it. “yeah. and you gave me a printout of the exam schedule even though i could have done it myself. you shaped the paper clip like a heart.” 

joshua’s smile twitches, and minghao tilts his head. “i thought that was so sweet. i’ve been thinking about that all afternoon. my students must think i’m a weirdo, i was smiling so much.”

“the paperclip?”

“...yes?”

joshua looks away, biting the inside of his cheek. “that wasn’t intentional. i bent the paperclip by accident and i didn’t want to throw it away.”

minghao sucks in a breath. “Oh my god.”

“i mean i do like you but-”

“oh my _god_.” minghao pushes his off, covering his face with his hands. “this is so embarrassing. this is so embarrassing, don’t _look at me_.”   
he’d spent the whole afternoon thinking about a damn _paperclip_ and joshua had meant nothing by it. 

“minghao,” joshua presses him against the car, coaxing his hands away from his face. even when he’s speaking softly, trying to calm him down, minghao can hear the smile in his voice, always _teasing_ , always amused with him. “minghao, look at me.” 

he clasps his face in his hands. “i like you. i wanna go on a date with you.”

his face feels so hot and he knows he must be so red, but he swallows, forces himself to meet joshua’s eyes. he’s so warm, his face so close, and minghao sucks in a breath. it’s never helped to be scared of the things he wants to do. 

when he leans in, joshua meets him halfway, lips soft against his. he’s been thinking about this for so long it’s overwhelming to touch him all at once, to kiss him. 

joshua pulls away, hiding his face in minghao’s neck, smiling against his skin. minghao just pats his back, grinning as he stares at the ceiling. 

“c’mon. let’s get out of here.”

they live close enough that minghao has dropped joshua off on his way home a dozen times before, but it feels different now. he clasps joshua’s hand in his, kisses his knuckles with a smile on his lips.

joshua scoffs, looks away. “you’re so cheesy.”

“so? i know you’re a romantic, you like this shit.”

joshua glares at him, but it’s more funny than scary when he’s blushing so much. “yeah? and what about it?”

“don’t complain so much when i’m driving you around for free.” 

“i’m not complaining, and besides it’s not for free.”

“oh yeah? you got gas money?”

joshua leans over and kisses him hard, holding his face before he drops back into his seat. “there. that must be worth it.”

minghao bites his tongue. there’s a time and place to tell joshua he can’t pay for gas like that, but he’ll do it later. 

“sure. whatever you say.” 

joshua squirms in his seat, putting on his seat belt. “c’mon. you promised me dinner.” 

“i’m gonna need another kiss if you want dinner too.”

“grade these papers for me and you’ll get a lot more than a kiss.” 

minghao scoffs, turning away and putting the car in reverse, driving out of the empty parking lot. “celibacy doesn’t sound so- _don’t kiss me when i’m driving!_ ” 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> trying to hide ur relationship from all your students who will definitely make fun of you with your new boyfriend > office romance au


End file.
